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354 HONDA THE SAMURAI.
Wyoming?
Visions of prison-cages, torture, decapitation,
and exposure of heads on pillories rose before
the minds of the Americans. The sailors were
nerved to desperation and vengeance at the thought
and made up their minds not to be taken prisoners.
Even the marines now hoped to have something to
do after the dreadful inaction of waiting. Nevertheless
it required coolness, science, and skill to work
and aim a Dahlgren eleven-inch pivot gun, and
neither these
nor courage failed.
McDougal ordered the Wyoming again into position
for a decisive shot. Despite the swift current
the engines brought her broadside with the enemy,
and then the two eleven-inch pivot guns delivered
their awful message. The forward Dahlgren sent
its shell into the side of the Choshiu steamer only
two feet above the water-line. Piercing wood, coal,
bunkers, and boiler, it passed out the opposite side
aud, a half-mile away, exploded amid the houses of
the town.
Then, as from a colossal geyser, shot up and rolled
out columns and clouds of steam and smoke, ashes,
coal, wood, and human beings, as forty souls entered
eternity, and the water was black with the heads of
men struggling for life. With their blood heated
with the passions of battle and hardly yet freed from
the nightmare of prison-coops, torture, and beheading,
the American sailors rushed to the
gunwales to
shoot the helpless Japanese in the water.
"Call off the men! "roared McDougal. "Don't
let a shot be fired
"
is helpless !
by an American when an enemy